Dictionary of Birds of the United States: Scientific and Common Names

Very Good used hardcover in dust jacket. Sun-fading to spine and edges of dust jacket.  Slight creasing to top edge of dj.

Dictionary of Birds of the United States is the most complete and up-to-date dictionary of names of American birds available. With more than 900 entries, all the resident birds of the 50 states are included, as well as escaped, exotic, and rare visitors. Including the etymologies and meanings of scientific and common names, it will be an indispensable reference both for scholars and amateur birders.

The dictionary is the only work of this type that brings the derivation of scientific bird names back to the original Greek. Other names are traced, for example, to Old English, French, Portuguese, or native languages. Names sometimes reflect the birds' behavior, physical appearance, habitat, or sound of their calls. Some names refer back to Greek myths and local folklore or were bestowed to honor a great naturalist, a world traveler, or a patron of the sciences. The author also discusses errors that arose in the naming of some birds.

Crisply written and extensively cross-referenced for ease of access, the book is graced by more than 25 striking pen-and-ink drawings by renowned ornithologist and bird artist George Miksch Sutton.